Microfinance Initiative for Asia (MIFA)
Financial Inclusion
- Promoting shared prosperity in Asia
- First microfinance initiative targeting Asian MFIs
- Unlocks investment for female and rural clients
Our investment goals and strategy
Strengthen capacity
We aim to create and enhance institutional capacity for sustainable microfinance delivery in Asia. This involves strengthening the links between domestic and international capital markets and providing responsible financial services.
Expanded outreach
This fund is the first initiative of its size to exclusively target Asian microfinance institutions (MFIs). It works with small to medium MFIs to help microentrepreneurs who may have struggled to access finance in the past.
Unlocking investment
An example of blended finance, the fund was introduced by the International Finance Corporation and the KfW Development Bank as a catalyst for private sector investments. It focuses on unlocking investment for female and rural clients in the region.
Fund characteristics
| Fund inception | 2012 |
| Asset class | Private debt (blended finance) |
| Status | Closed |
| Liquidity | Closed-end |
| NAV frequency | Quarterly |
| Domicile and legal structure | Luxembourg, SICAV-SIF |
| SFDR classification | Article 9 |
| Investment manager | BlueOrchard Finance Ltd |
| Depositary | Citibank Europe plc. |
| Administrator | Citibank Europe plc. |
| Technical assistance | Financed by KfW (the German Development Bank), on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) |
| Backed by | BMZ European Union IFC KfW |
SDGs addressed
Core SDGs
Aligned SDGs
Core SDGs: Core SDGs are those that address the impact intent and/or sustainability investment objective of a given fund.
Aligned SDGs: Aligned SDGs are those that the fund’s investees promote through responsible ESG management practices.
Impact KPIs
Contact
Improving the quality of live
Reaching underserved regions in Indonesia with MBKMBK (Mitra Bisnis Keluarga – Indonesian for “Family Business Partners”) is one of the largest non-deposit taking microfinance institutions in Indonesia and a BlueOrchard investee since 2008. It uses the Grameen methodology to provide working capital to women with low-income in primarily rural and semi-urban areas of Indonesia. MBK’s mission is to provide access to formal and low-cost financial services to promote financial inclusion in order to raise incomes and improve living standards in the regions where it operates. 100% of MBK’s borrowers are female, as are its field credit staff. As of March, MBK served 1,448,578 women, 75% of whom live below the country’s poverty line.